A  HA MOMENTS:

NAME THREE?

INTRODUCTION

The  title  of my homily for this first Saturday in Advent   is, “A Ha Moments: Name Three”?

I think that’s a good question:  “A Ha Moments: Name Three!”?

And if you talk life with a spouse or a family member or a good friend or friends, do that question of naming 3 “A Ha Moments” Come up with your answers. Then share your moments and your memories  with each other.

“A Ha Moments: Name Three”?

PROCESS

A suggested process could go like this: look at your life – jot down major learning moments – a ha moments -  name lots of them – there are many - and then pick your top 3 from your list.

That’s not a bad way to do this.  And you can keep on working on it – changing it, developing it - especially if doing this becomes an “A ha!”  moment in itself – or as you listen to the “Ah Hah!” moments of  others.

TODAY’S GOSPLE GIVES ONE FOR ME

Somewhere along the time line of my life I heard someone say that Jesus Christ’s main concern was not to establish a church – but to bring about the kingdom.

The speaker was saying: Jesus established the Church to bring about the kingdom.

This is the means and end question. It’s the which is which question.  Is the church the end or the means or is the church the way to the kingdom?

As Jesus says in today’s gospel, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” [ Cf. Matthew 10: 7.]

I was brought up with the stress on the Church. At some point, “A ha,”  I was being asked to wonder what is this kingdom and how do I help to make it happen? 

Wait a minute!  You’re a priest you’re supposed to make the Church happen. Nope, I’m a human. I’m a Christian and I want to be one of those who are salt and light and help the kingdom to show up in kitchens, work places, parks, family gatherings and church benches and halls.

The kingdom of God is at hand!

This makes the little people as big as the big people, the poor as important as all people and on and on and on.

It takes away the stress on pomp and circumstance, titles and seats of honor, rules and regulations,  and all that.

ST. AMBROSE

Did you notice that today is the feast of St. Ambrose?

The bishop of Milan dies and uproar and division happen. Ambrose the  provincial  governor goes to the basilica and asks for a peaceful solution. Someone screams out, “Ambrose for bishop.”

Everyone chants that scream and Ambrose – who is not baptized is baptized in a week – then confirmed that same week – and ordained that week and consecrated  bishop of Milan – all in a week.

How’s that for process?

And Ambrose  becomes a great bishop and saint – and did a lot of church things to make Milan a wonderful diocese.

Of course, this was before Canon Law as we know it. This was around the year 375 – and Ambrose  lasts till Good Friday – April 4, 397.

So a first  good “A hah” moment for me was when I heard someone say that the church is a means to building the Kingdom of God!

MY SECOND  A HA MOMENT – POLITICS FROM THE PULPIT

I learned this year – in a great a ha moment – in the big parish I was in down in Annapolis Maryland, that no matter what one says in the pulpit, the people in the benches hear what they hear in their way – and rightly so.

In a sermon I didn’t mention the president by name – but I was critical of him – because of the way he described the homes of people in the islands and in Africa.  I said I was not being political. I said I was talking morally – and we should not describe people’s homes the way the president  was  describing them.

Uh oh!  After Mass there was uproar and letters.  Some folks said I was talking politics from the pulpit. I said I wasn’t.  It doesn’t matter – some folks saw it all as politics.

I am very interested to find out what will happen in Catholic Parishes in the United States this Sunday if any priest or deacon stands up for Nancy Pelosi for saying, “I am a Catholic and I was taught not to hate.”  Then she said she prays for the president.

Up roar.

My a ha learning was that I said loud and clear that I was speaking morally and not politically – but I learned people take what they take – from their viewpoint.

Even saying what I just said can cause uproar.

I’m 80 – and a long time ago I found myself not worrying  about church stuff when I’m preaching. The call is to worry about human stuff and our church is around to speak up for human beings and their day to day life on the planet.

My second a ha moment – was that I can think what I think – but people think what they think.

THIRD A HA MOMENT

My third A Ha Moment has to do with Isaiah.

Someone said that Isaiah only gradually was beginning to see that God was more than a God of the Israelites.

I was hearing that theology and ideology can be gradual and evolutionary and developmental for folks.

So for me the goal is to evolve – to get beyond being  Catholic, Jewish, Moslem, Hindu, Atheistic, or whatever and  to be concerned about helping everyone to know and to hear that God is with us in our development - whether we believe in him or not.

Today’s first reading has Isaiah saying that God  is gracious to us and spacious to us.

CONCLUSION

That’s some homework. Come up with 3 A Ha moments and share them with your one to one connections.

December 7, 2019

THE  FRAME

The painting didn’t grab me

like a few paintings have ….

But the frame – it was unique,

dust collecting inlaid wood ….

So did the framer know - what

women and dapper guys know?

If you don’t have it, then it better

be the shirt or the skirt or the

beard or the do that does it.

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

December 7, 2019 - 

Thought for today: 

“To  lie  about  a  foreign  country  is  easy.”  

Amharic [Ethiopian] Proverb

December 6, 2019

LEFT SHOULDER

Life -  at times - I wish this wasn’t true,

but too many times - it’s about reactions.

I say blue; you say purple.  I see the way

your eye sees the way I shrug my left

shoulder when you walk into a room –

but I say nothing – just judging from what 

I think you’re thinking - from what you said

and how you reacted 7 years ago - to what

I did just now. Hey my left shoulder has

picked up some arthritis at work or it's 

been raining and I feel in my bones

an old injury  from wrestling when I

was in high school so many years ago.

We could talk – but let’s be honest –

we rather react than actually ask.

We rather judge than speak to each

other. Why do we do that? Why?

 © Andy Costello, Reflections 2019

December 6, 2019 - 

Thought for today: 

“… out  of the  quarrel  with ourselves we make poetry.”  

W. Butler Yeats

December  5, 2019

ECHOES FROM THE PAST

If we echo our parents all our lives

without realizing it 99 % of the time,

then when we get together with our brothers

and our sisters for a funeral or a wedding,

we ought to be listening to our parents,

maybe hearing them for the first time.

                                                                                             © Andy Costello, Reflections 

ROCK:

A  MEDITATION ON ROCK

 INTRODUCTION

The title of my reflection for today is, “Rock: A Meditation on Rock.”

Since today’s two readings give rock a prominent place - as I was preparing some thoughts for  this morning - I said, “Why not put together a short meditation on rock?”

READINGS

The first reading – Isaiah 26: 1-6 - describes the Lord as an eternal rock.

Isaiah says that after saying, “Trust in the Lord forever.”

Okay, I get that.  Isaiah throws in a curve - the opposite.  Beware of being too lofty and overbearing like a mountain. You might be humbled as you tumble down to the ground.   Remember dust is disintegrated rock. Think about it:  you might end up as road - trampled underfoot by the needy -  stepped on by the footsteps of the poor.

Hear that comment: “… the footsteps of the poor.”  That’s 5  words that  I need to do some thinking about - but not now. Today I’m meditating on rock.

And today’s gospel – Matthew 7: 21-27 - has Jesus saying to build your house on rock - not on sand - so that  - when the wind and storms of life - hit your house - you will stand - because you’re built on rock.

TODAY - PICK UP A ROCK AND MEDITATE ON IT

 Walk around your house and find a stone.

I mean inside your house.  You could do this outside, but for starters, try inside your house.

Surprise you spot a small stone on a book shelf.  You ask, “What’s with this stone? What’s the  story about this stone?

It could be a rock from a vacation - or a rock with writing on it - given to you as a gift or a souvenir.

Think of Simon and Garfunkel’s song, “I Am a Rock …. I am an Island.”

Yeah, sometimes people are too cold, too alone, too unfeeling. In those experiences being a rock is negative.  Then there are people who are our rocks - our strength - like the Lord in today’s first reading.

I’ve been to Gibraltar.  If you ever are on a Mediterranean Cruise and Gibraltar is an option - go for it - outside or in.  On the outside, beware of the monkeys – they grab cameras, pocketbooks, packs and food.  On the inside see if you can get down into at least the middle level cave.

It represents security - hence Gibraltar being a symbol for an insurance company.

Contrast rock with opposite objects - like paper and scissors - in that wonderful game: “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”

Think of all the people who have had stones, gossip, words, thrown at them.

Words – hard words – hard sounding air – can hurt.

Picture the lady in the gospel – John 8: 1-11 – who was caught in adultery.

Did she hear the words, “Adulterer!  Sinner!” “This woman was caught in the very act of adultery!” for the rest of her life in that village?

Or did she stay with Jesus words, “Let him without sin cast the first stone”? Or “I don’t condemn you. Go and sin no more.”

Or the story about words that are like bloody rocks are in the gospel story of the guy in the cemetery who was bashing himself with stones. Did he spend his life hitting himself for mistakes or regrets from years past all his life? {[Cf. Mark 5: 5.]

CONCLUSION

So that’s a few ideas to trigger a few ideas inside your head.

That’s what a preacher tries to do.

Let me close with the old joke we used to tell as kids: “Was Goliath, the giant in the bible, surprised when David hit him in the head and killed him with a stone?”

Answer: “Yes! Such a thing had never entered his head before.”